


#3

by bobs_business



Category: Catfish and the Bottlemen (Band)
Genre: Angst, Bondy - Freeform, F/M, Johnny Bond - Freeform, Mini Fic, Old Friends, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 09:08:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18735973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bobs_business/pseuds/bobs_business
Summary: A fic about: Bondy and reader being friends before Catfish and The Bottlemen and being reunited at a party.





	#3

It all started in 2014. Bondy became more extroverted, he put more effort into making more friends, and became more focused on his music. You, Joe and Emily knew he was drifting away when he kept blowing you off to go to practise his music. At first it was just every other week, then it became every Friday, and soon enough Bondy just stopped replying to your messages. You knew for sure that he had gone when he stopped showing up at the record shop you worked at, which had been the way the two of you met and had become the most consistent contact the two of you had. It was harshand Bondy dropping out of your life without an actual reason hurt like hell. You thought it was because of you, maybe you were too clingy, too needy. After what happened with Bondy, you, Joe and Emily made a pact to never abandon each other for a better opportunity like what Bondy did. Sure you all had other friends and went down different paths, but you always ended up back together.

Tonight, you had decided to go to a party, held by someone called Lou. Joe and Emily were both caught up with work, so you chose to go alone and meet up with some of your other friends there. You parked your little Ford KA just up the road from the crowded driveway of a large suburban house. The party was being held outside of the city, in some random town you couldn’t quite remember the name of. You let out a long breath, weary of what you were going to experience when you stepped into the house; this definitely not your first house party, but it was strange not to have Joe or Emily beside you. You reached behind you to pull out two six packs of beer from the back seat and stepped out of the car, one pack in each hand. As you approached the large grey house, you gnawed on your bottom lip before being stopped by an outstretched arm.

“Booze control, I need to check your hands.” A guy said, you didn’t recognise him but you lifted both hands to show him the packs of beer. “Aight, go put it on the counter.” he said nonchalantly, pointing towards what you assumed was the kitchen.

The music was deafeningly loud, it made your heart jump along to the bass that was vibrating through the house. You wormed your way through the crowded hallway and placed the two six-packs on the marble counter. Grabbing yourself a cup, you poured a can of beer into it and the amber liquid sloshed around as you moved towards the living room. Music came from all around you, and people you didn’t recognise were huddled together. You spotted Bondy playing ring of fire with Larry and Van, people associated with his band. You stared at Bondy, who locked eyes with you causing his smile to falter a bit. Your breath caught in your throat as you took in the man in front of you. As you turned and left the room quickly, seeing Bondy with Van and the rest of the band brought back a wave of memories that you kept at the back of your brain.

***

“Hey Bondy!” you greeted your friend excitedly as he stepped through the door of the record store. You hoped that he didn’t detect your excitement.

“Hey Y/N,” Bondy said, his voice wasn’t as enthusiastic as yours, but you ignored it. His hands flicked through the new records that had been put on the shelves since the last time he visited. “Whats up?” He mumbled.

“I was thinking,” you started, toying with the strings of your hoodie, “There’s this band called Catfish and the Bottlemen playing at the corn exchange later and they’ve just got a new guitarist that’s meant to be really good. I was thinking maybe you’d like to come with me and see if they’re worth the hype?”

Bondy’s hands paused over records as he hesitated for a bit before speaking, his eyes never leaving the shelves. “When would that be?” He asked a bit harshly for your liking.

“Uhm - Friday night” you said quietly, stuffing your hands in your pockets. Bondy turned and looked at you behind the counter, his hand went to that back of his neck and he rubbed it nervously. 

“Listen Y/N, I’m like super busy this weekend.” he confessed, his eyes still avoiding hers. Your heart sank at his words, but you swallowed the sadness and nodded. You put on a fake smile.

“That’s fine,” your voice sounding weaker than you thought it would, triggering your cheeks to turn pink in embarrassment.

“Yo, Bondy mate!” a male voice called out. Bondy turned around and smiled at the brown haired guy walking through the door. He jogged towards the two of you and clapped him on the back. “You ready?” the stranger asked. 

“Yep, let’s get going.” Bondy affirmed, putting down the record he was cradling in his hands. He and the man walked out, without even saying a simple bye to you. You turned and looked out the window at your distant friend.

***

You found your way outside. The garden was just as lively as the inside and the grass was already littered with cans and cups. You spotted your friend Danni who had vibrant purple hair. "Hey Danni,“ you said as you approached the girl.

"Heyy Y/N!” Danni said excitedly, obviously already feeling the buzz from the alcohol. “Want to join our Beer Pong game?” she asked enthusiastically and motioned for you to come over. You agreed with a smile plastered onto to your face. Some time passed and you managed to forget about Bondy and his bandmates whilst finding yourself downing more cups and becoming more tipsy. “Hey, Danni, imma go to the bathroom” you stated, grabbing a half filled cup and heading back into the house, almost tripping up the step to the door on your way in. During the time you spent outside, the house seemed to have gotten even more crowded. Fluorescent Adolescent by the Arctic Monkeys was being played loudly, and you found yourself automatically swaying to the song as you moved through the house. You needed to find a bathroom to help freshen and sober you up a bit, maybe splash your face with cold water. You wandered down a long hallway and kept opening random doors hoping to find a bathroom on the other side. Upon swinging one door open you almost dropped your drink at what was inside. Two people in the back of the bathroom were basically on top of each other, kissing in a fast and sloppy way with the girls exposed legs wrapped around the guys hips. You couldn’t see the identity of the pair since the girls head was blocking your view. The guy looked away and spotted you, breaking the kiss and locking eyes with you. It was Bondy.

“Oh my god!” you shrieked, looking away and winced at how embarrassed you were. “I’m so sorry, I - you guys should’ve locked the door!” Bondy pushed the girl off him, triggering the girl to turn around and look disgusted at you.

“How long were you watching?” The brunette yelled as she gathered her things.

“I swear, I just walked in. I’m so so sorry!” you babbled. The girl picked up her abandoned cup, spilling it’s contents on your face and shirt as she left the bathroom in a rush. The door behind the brunette closed with a soft click. Silence filled the bathroom aside from the drips of beer from your clothes onto the tiled floor. 

“I’m sorry” you whispered as you turned to the sink and turned on the tap. The air between Bondy and you became stiff and awkward. He stared at you for a moment before taking action.

“Here, let me help.” he murmured and grabbed a coral coloured towel off the rail. He moved towards you but you backed up quickly. 

“I’m fine,” you said harshly, frowning at yourself. Bondy froze and placed the town on the counter, and hoping that you would be able to get the stain out later, you dabbed the towel on your shirt. Bondy slowly moved towards the door to leave but you stopped him.

“Bondy wait a minute,” you said softly. He stopped and looked at you expectantly. “What happened between us?” you asked hesitantly, unsure if you were ready to hear the answer.

“What do you mean?” Bondy questioned.

“What do I mean?” you repeated. “I don’t know Bondy, maybe I’m talking about how you just completely cut us out of your life after you joined Catfish - without telling us might I add!” you cursed.

“I wanted to branch out! I wanted to achieve my goal of becoming a musician! What’s wrong with that?” Bondy argued, getting closer to you.

“There’s nothing wrong with it! I just-” you weren’t used to confrontation, especially with the guy you used to call your best friend. In your mind this talk was supposed to happen differently. “I thought you hated me, you couldn’t even tell me about you having one of the most exciting opportunities in your life! You just took it and ran away from me! You blew us off for fame Bond!” you let out a sob, leaving Bondy speechless, unsure of what to say or how to react to your outburst.

“We were always a team and you just left us behind in the dust like we were trash!” you yelled, as sadness and anger combined to boil inside of you. Flinging your hands in the air the dams flung open, fat tears rushed down your face and you slid down the wall behind you onto the floor. “What kind of person does that to his friends?” you croaked. Vulnerability, embarrassment, anger and sadness overwhelmed you all at once. You let out a frustrated groan as you fumbled with your wet shirt. This whole situation is fucked up. You were 100% sure that Bondy was just going to leave her in a pool of her own sadness like what he did all those years ago. Instead he sat down on the edge of the tub. He tugged off his jacket and handed it down to you and when you didn’t react, he placed it gingerly over your knees.

Bondy looked baffled and after a few minutes of silence, you spoke up again, “You know want Bondy, you need to get your priorities straight.” You stood up quickly, which instantly made you dizzy, causing you to sway on your feet due to the alcohol running through your system. The jacket fell to the floor with a muffled thump and Bondy reached out to catch you by the arms, which you instantly forced yourself out of.

“I’m going home.” you said as you exited the bathroom and back into the crowded hallway.

“Y/N, wait!” Bondy called out after you, trying to quickly squeeze his way through the crowd to catch you up. You left the house and the cold, British air hit you like a brick. “Y/N you can’t drive, you’ve had too much to drink!” you heard Bondy call out from behind you.

“Oh stop bullshitting me, like you haven’t had anything!” you bit back, attempting to jam your key into the lock on your car door, missing the first two times.

“Let me drive you home. We can talk,” he suggested, his jacket back in its previous position around his shoulders. His walnut curls were tousled, and his cheeks were a light pink from cold wind.

“I’m not letting a drunk, and probably high guy drive me home!” you explained to him loudly, avoiding any sort of eye contact.

“I promise I’ve barely had anything!” Bondy explained. “I swear, look!” He kept tapping one hand on his head and rubbing his stomach with the other. The action almost drew a smile out of you, but instead produced a frown. Your head was filled with thoughts of how you really should run away and not look back, but for some reason you tossed him the keys. He, of course, caught them with ease and walked over to the drivers side. You moved to the passengers side and slid in, shutting the door and resting your head on the window. Bondy started the car with ease and drove towards your flat.

The car was void of conversation, except for the sound of the windscreen wipers brushing off the rain that had began to fall, and the soft voice of Ed Sheeran which drifted out of the speakers. “Y/N I really am sorry, I honestly didn’t know you felt that way,” Bondy said softly.

“Well, I hate to break it to you mate but that’s usually how people feel when you abandon them.” you responded, your voice weak from yelling earlier.

“What the hell Y/N? I didn’t abandon-” Bondy started defensively before letting out a sigh. “Okay, I guess i did.” He said regretfully before rolling down the window to light a cigarette. 

“So, it finally hit you then.” you let out, your head still turned away from him.

Bondy murmured incoherently. “Van and the lads looked so happy up there on stage, surrounded by all these people that appreciated what they did, and don’t get me wrong, I was so happy with you guys but I constantly felt like something was missing."He explained. Unable to come up with a snarky response, you stayed silent. "I went to one of their shows and got talking to Larry who said that their lead guitarist just left the band. I saw an amazing opportunity with these three lads and I thought that it could fill the strange void in my life. Soon enough I was performing in front of all these people feeling appreciated for my talent. I wanted to hang out with you, I really did, I just felt like I was going to hurt you if I was travelling around with the boys all the time.” he added, his eyes glancing worryingly at you ever so often.

“So you felt that you would hurt me from the physical distance that was between us when you toured? Well what about the pain you caused when you just left without any reason? Did you ever think of that huh?” you snapped back, growing tired of the constant back and forth between the two of you tonight.

“I just wanted my dream! We were stuck in this city and I wanted to get out. Catfish gave me that!” Bondy argued in his defence.

“I cared about you Bond and more than just in a friendly way. I knew and appreciated you more than any of your fans now do, but I don’t know anymore.” You added, again feeling herself becoming more vulnerable. Nowadays you don’t open up like this, and hadn’t ever since Bondy left your life. He seemed to have a way of getting you to talk. The car was silent again and Bondy let out a sigh as he turned down the familiar road that your flat was on. He internally groaned as he realised this ride would come to an end shortly as he pulled up in front of your building, and shut off the ignition. The rain was falling harder now, and he really dreaded the rather wet walk back to his own place. You noticed the rain too, and against your better judgement, you followed your hearts instructions.

“Maybe you should come in, you know, to get out of this rain for a bit.” You suggested softly. Bondy turned to look at you in shock; baffled that even when he had fucked up so badly, you still cared. He didn’t think twice.

“On 3?” He asked and you nodded in response. “Okay, 1…2…3!” Both you and Bondy bolted out of the car and ran towards your building. The rain hit your faces and seeped through your clothes. You pushed open the door and held it for Bondy, and for a brief moment he swore he saw a ghost of a smile on your face.

The ride in the lift up to the forth floor was quiet, both adults were standing on opposite sides of the lift. The doors opened with a quiet ding, and you both walked out. Fumbling with your keys, you unlocked the door quietly. Bondy shuffled inside of the flat, noticing every detail that had changed since he was last here as he slipped off his damp shoes. You followed suit and motioned him to follow you into your bedroom. 

“Lemme get you a towel.” you said softly as you left the room and went to the bathroom down the hall. Bondy stood motionless in the doorway for a moment, letting the intoxicating smell of strawberries overwhelm his senses. He stepped into the carpeted room with cream walls and noticed that it was basically exactly the same as it was four years ago. Fairy lights strung up over the bed, a few posters scattered on the walls, and the black crate that held your favourite records still sat in it’s designated corner. He realised in that moment that he missed this room and you so much. Letting his hands caress the unrecognisable floral duvet cover, he sat down and let go of everything he’d been bottling up. Bondy’s hands went to his face to cover his tear filled eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey” your soft voice vibrated through his ears. You knelt down in front of him and pulled his hands away from his face slowly. “It’s okay,” you shushed as you wrapped your arms around him, unable to control your own actions in front of the now tearful Bondy. He rested his head on your shoulder, his arms around your back. 

“God, I fucked it up so badly with you.” Bondy whispered sadly into your neck. You stayed quiet, not trusting your own voice or mind to form a coherent sentence at this point. “I’m so fucking sorry, I’m sorry I was such a dick to you, and Joe, and Emily. I was so selfish.” Bondy apologised. “I didn’t realise how much I’ve missed this the past few years until I came in here. I didn’t notice how much I missed you.” He confessed, his arms still around you. “Please forgive me Y/N,” he pulled away and looked at you. His cheeks were tinted pink and his eyes were red and puffy. At this point you let your own tears fall as you gave him a weak smile.

In the depths of your heart, you realised that you still held feelings for the man in front of you, and now you had a chance to have him back in your life. You wiped the tears from his cheeks with your thumbs and looked away for a moment. You gave him a slow nod. “Okay,” you whispered, almost to quiet for him to hear, “But you can’t blow me off again,” you explained. When you turned your head to look at him again, you were just inches apart, your noses barely touching. He placed a soft hand on your cheek, his thumb slowly stroking your cheek. 

“Thank you,” he spoke quietly. Your heart seemed to beat impossibly fast and heavy butterflies had been unleashed in your stomach, causing your cheeks to turn pink.

You were fully expecting Bondy to pull away, stand up and start drying himself off, but instead the two of you stayed comfortably in that position for a few moments, just taking each other in. A comfortable silence had settled around you, for the first time since you had been reunited earlier that evening. “Can I kiss you?” Bondy requested in a hushed tone. Your breath got caught in your throat as you found yourself unable to let a simple ‘yes’ pass her lips. You nodded slowly, and before you knew it Bondy was kissing you. It was soft, tender, nothing that she imagined it would be like all those years ago. It seemed to communicate exactly what they were both feeling in that moment. His rough fingertips held your face gently, not wanting it to go to fast; not wanting to mess their relationship up again. Bondy pulled away too soon for your liking and removed his hands from your face, taking your hands in his during the process.

A smile appeared on Bondy’s face, and he looked away in embarrassment. “God I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” He said softly. 

“Well you had your chance at Emily’s 20th, but you didn’t show.” You admitted with a small smile and a roll of the eyes. Bondy’s face fell again.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N, I fucked up. How can I make it up to you?” He asked.

“Just don’t leave again. Don’t push me away and make me go through the last four years all over again?” you pleaded, squeezing his hands in yours. Bondy grinned at the suggestion, “Trust me Y/N, I would be stupid to let you get away from me again”


End file.
